May Madness – or what we call Maydness – is here.
With Selection Monday now less than a week away, we have five
teams officially in the field of 64.

Bethune-Cookman won the MEAC title, and Bucknell
took the Patriot League championship, joining Dartmouth (Ivy),
Cal State Fullerton (Big West) and San Diego (West Coast) as
teams with bids to the NCAA Tournament.

There are 24 conference tournaments this week to
determine automatic bids. Arizona State needs one win at
Stanford or one loss by UCLA against Washington State to secure
the Pac-10 regular-season crown and its automatic bid.

There are few teams currently playing their way
into the NCAA Tournament. We took six teams off of last week’s
board, but didn’t have six teams strong enough to take their
places.

We take another look at the potential field.
Who’s in? Who has work to do? Team records are through games of
Sunday, May 23, as are the RPIs (courtesy of Boyd Nation at
www.boydsworld.com).

Without further ado, here’s our look the Field of
64 (happy teams in bold).

America East (1) –
Binghamton (21-3, 30-18) swept a three-game set at Stony
Brook (15-9, 26-25) to extend its win streak to 14, clinch the
regular-season title and get the conference tourney on its home
field. Maine (17-7, 34-20) moved past Stony Brook into second,
with Albany (10-14, 11-38) in fourth. We think the Bearcats stay
hot and win the America East title on their home field.

ACC (8) – There are five locks as of now: Virginia
(23-7, 45-10, RPI 2), Miami (20-10, 39-15, RPI 8),
Georgia Tech (21-9, 44-11, RPI 10), Clemson (18-12,
37-19, RPI 16) and Florida State (18-12, 39-16, RPI 17).
Virginia Tech (16-14, 36-19, RPI 34) is in for now but
can’t go 0-3 in the ACC Tournament to extend its losing streak
to seven. NC State (15-15, 36-20, RPI 49) and Boston
College (14-16, 29-26, RPI 46) are in by a thread. The
Eagles need at least one win in the ACC tourney to avoid having
a .500 overall record. North Carolina (14-16, 36-20, RPI 20) did
sweep the Hokies this past weekend, but finishing ninth will
keep them at home.

Atlantic Sun (1) – Florida Gulf Coast (25-5, 37-18,
RPI 39) added three more conference wins to finish ahead of
second-place Mercer (16-11, 33-22) by 7.5 games. The conference
tourney also will include ETSU (15-12, 30-26), UNF (14-12,
29-26), Jacksonville (14-12, 25-27) and Stetson (14-13, 27-29),
but not host Lipscomb (9-17, 19-36). We think the Ospreys will
dominate the tournament like they did during the regular season.
Lots of bubble teams will be cheering for FGCU as well.

Atlantic 10 (1) –
Charlotte (20-7, 37-15, RPI 80) took two of three at
Richmond (10-17, 24-28) to take the regular-season crown. Xavier
(18-9, 25-30) swept three at Saint Joseph’s (13-14, 18-29) to
stretch its win streak to eight and claim second place. Other
tourney teams include Rhode Island (17-10, 29-24), Fordham
(15-12, 21-33), Saint Louis (15-12, 29-27) and La Salle (14-13,
21-30). We think the 49ers survive with strong challenges from
the Musketeers and Rams, as URI won regular-season series
against both Charlotte and Xavier.

Big East (3) –
Louisville (21-6, 46-10, RPI 6) swept a three-game set at
Notre Dame (10-17, 22-32) to win the regular-season title and
help its fight to become a national seed. Connecticut (20-6,
43-12, RPI 24) dropped its series finale to Seton Hall
(8-19, 19-30-1) to fall into second. Pittsburgh (18-8, 37-16,
RPI 52) dropped two of three at home to USF (16-11, 25-30)
to put itself precariously on the bubble. If the Panthers don’t
win the Big East tourney, they need the Cardinals or Huskies to
prevail to keep their hopes alive for an at-large bid.

Big South (2) – Coastal Carolina (25-0, 47-7, RPI 3)
did fall during the week to College of Charleston, but won twice
against Radford (15-11, 29-24) to remain perfect in Big South
play. The Chanticleers are still in line for a national seed.
Liberty (19-8, 39-17, RPI 51) dropped two of three at
Winthrop (13-14, 25-28) to damage its at-large resume. The
Flames need a deep run in the Big South tourney and could use a
win over Coastal Carolina to solidify their body of work. And if
anyone other than Coastal or Liberty take the tourney title, the
Flames will be doused.

Big Ten (1) – Minnesota (15-9, 27-28) took two of three
at Ohio State (11-13, 28-23) to take the regular-season crown
and keep the host Buckeyes out of the conference tournament.
Michigan (14-10, 34-20, RPI 65) also won two of three to
stay in second. Other tourney entrants include Northwestern
(13-11, 24-30), Iowa (13-11, 27-26), Purdue (12-12, 31-22) and
Indiana (12-12, 27-25). After some debate, we lean toward the
Wolverines over the Golden Gophers to win the Big Ten tourney.

Big 12 (6) – There are four locks right now: Texas
(24-3, 46-8, RPI 4), Oklahoma (15-10, 42-14, RPI 18),
Texas A&M (14-12-1, 36-19-1, RPI 26) and Kansas State
(14-12, 35-18, RPI 38). Baylor (12-13, 31-21, RPI 40)
swept a three-game series from Oklahoma State (8-19, 29-26) to
climb into sixth and into an at-large spot. Texas Tech (13-14,
27-27, RPI 55) was swept at ninth-place Nebraska (10-17, 27-27,
RPI 60) to fall to fifth and to .500 overall. Kansas
(11-15-1, 31-24-1, RPI 53) was swept at home by Oklahoma to
fall to seventh. The Jayhawks are in by a whisker and need to
make some noise in the Big 12 tourney to help their at-large
chance. The Red Raiders need to make some serious noise at
Bricktown.

Big West (2) – First-place Cal State Fullerton (18-3,
37-15, RPI 11) has clinched the regular-season title and the
automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Titans are in good
shape to host a regional and are fighting for a national seed.
Second-place UC Irvine (14-7, 34-18, RPI 44) helped its
RPI by taking two of three from UC Riverside (11-10, 29-21, RPI
72). The Anteaters travel to Long Beach State (7-14, 22-29) this
week and could use a series win to feel safe.

Colonial (1) –
James Madison (18-6, 29-21) won two of three at VCU (16-7-1,
31-23-1) to claim the regular-season crown. Georgia State
(17-6-1, 34-21-1) swept William and Mary (10-14, 27-24) to climb
into second. Tournament host UNC Wilmington (13-11, 30-25) takes
the fourth and final spot. We would not be surprised if any of
the four takes the title. After much discussion, we lean toward
the Dukes as the tourney champ.

Conference USA (1) – First-place Rice (17-7, 35-20,
RPI 28) took two of three from UAB (11-13, 28-25) in a
tune-up for the conference tournament. Southern Miss (14-10,
32-21, RPI 66) won its series against Memphis (12-12, 27-28) to
secure second place. If the Owls win the C-USA tourney, this
will be a one-bid league.

Great West (0) –
Utah Valley (26-2, 38-17, RPI 174) has won 10 straight games and
has dominated league play. The Wolverines have won the
regular-season title in the inaugural season for the Great West,
but no automatic or at-large bid this year.

Horizon (1) –
Wright State (17-6, 29-23) finished one game ahead of
Milwaukee (17-8, 29-23) in the league standings. The Panthers
took two of three from the Raiders during the regular season.
Other tourney participants include UIC (15-9, 22-28), Valparaiso
(9-10, 22-30), Butler (11-13, 21-27) and Youngstown State (9-17,
21-32). We think Wright State has the right stuff to take the
tournament title.

Ivy (1) –
Dartmouth (13-7, 26-17) lost the first game of the Ivy
League Championship Series at Columbia (14-6, 26-21), but
stormed back to win the final two games to capture its second
straight title. The Big Green grabbed the league’s automatic bid
and will represent the Ivy League in the NCAA Tournament.

Metro Atlantic (1) –
Canisius (19-5, 37-19) will be the top seed in the MAAC
tournament, finishing three games ahead of Marist (16-8, 33-20).
Rider (15-9, 33-21) and Manhattan (15-9, 30-18) fill out the
tourney field as all four squads have at least 30 wins and at
least 15 conference victories. We think the Golden Griffins will
prevail in a very competitive tournament.

Mid-American (1) –
Central Michigan (20-7, 33-20) swept a three-game set from
Eastern Michigan (13-14, 25-30) to win the Western Division and
claimed the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament. Kent State
(18-9, 34-22) took three at Akron (3-24, 21-34) to win the
Eastern Division title and will be the No. 2 seed in the
tourney. Others in the field include Toledo (19-8, 33-20), Ball
State (19-8, 28-27), Bowling Green (18-9, 28-21), Miami (13-14,
28-26), EMU and Ohio (13-14, 20-33). We think the Golden Flashes
will outlast the field to take the title in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Mid-Eastern (1) – Bethune-Cookman (18-0, 35-20)
was perfect in three tournament games, including beating
second-seeded North Carolina A&T (15-3, 31-26) in the
championship game, to win its fifth straight MEAC title. The
Wildcats have won 10 of the 11 MEAC crowns under head coach
Mervyl Melendez.

Missouri Valley (1)
– Illinois State (15-6, 27-22) dropped two of three at
Evansville to fall into a first-place tie with Wichita State
(15-6, 38-18, RPI 57). The Shockers earn the No. 1 seed by
virtue of its series win over the Redbirds. We think Wichita
State will win the conference tournament on its home field to
take the league’s automatic bid. Should the Shockers stumble,
they likely will be on the outside looking in.

Mountain West (2) –
First-place TCU (19-5, 43-11, RPI 19) and second-place
New Mexico (14-8, 35-18, RPI 43) have separated themselves
from the rest of the field in the MWC. The Horned Frogs are
still fighting to host a regional. The Lobos need a strong
showing in the MWC tourney or their RPI could fall and knock
them out of the at-large field. San Diego State (13-11, 28-26)
swept a three-game series from UNLV (11-13, 27-27) to move into
third and could be a factor in the MWC Tournament on its home
field.

Northeast (1) –
Bryant (25-7, 34-22) took three of four from second-place
Sacred Heart (20-12, 29-25) to win the NEC regular-season
title but will not play in the conference tournament as the
Bulldogs transition into Division I. The Pioneers will be the
top seed, battling Central Connecticut State (18-14, 29-20),
Wagner (17-15, 25-29) and Monmouth (15-17, 22-25) for the
tournament title. We think Sacred Heart is the class of this
quartet and wins the NEC crown.

Ohio Valley (1) –
Tennessee Tech (14-6, 29-23) swept a three-game series from
Murray State (12-8-1, 25-26-1) to take the OVC regular-season
title ahead of Jacksonville State (15-8, 29-24). Others
in the OVC tourney include Southeast Missouri State (13-9,
30-23), Eastern Illinois (11-12, 17-33) and Eastern Kentucky
(9-12, 27-25). In what should be a wide-open tournament, we
think the Gamecocks survive to take the OVC tourney title.

Pac-10 (8) – It’s been a great year for the Pac-10 as the
league should receive its highest bid total. There are currently
five locks: Arizona State (18-6, 45-7, RPI 1), UCLA
(16-8, 41-11, RPI 7), Arizona (11-13, 32-20, RPI 22),
Oregon (12-12, 37-19, RPI 23) and Washington State
(14-10, 31-18, RPI 32). Stanford (13-11, 30-21, RPI 42)
is solid. California (11-13, 27-22, RPI 41) and
Oregon State (10-14, 28-21, RPI 30) are in for now, but need
a strong final week. The Golden Bears dropped three this past
weekend to the Bruins and visit the Ducks this weekend. The
Beavers helped themselves with a win Sunday over the Sun Devils
and entertain the Wildcats.

Patriot (1) – Road
teams were victorious in both semifinal series, and that trend
continued in the finals as fourth-seeded Bucknell (8-12,
25-33) won at third-seeded Holy Cross (10-10, 26-26) to
capture the Patriot League Championship Series. The Bison
dropped the first game of the series but came back in the final
two against the Crusaders to win its second title in the past
three years.

Southern (3) –
The Citadel (24-6, 38-20, RPI 35) swept a three-game series
at Georgia Southern (19-11, 34-22, RPI 56) to claim the
regular-season title. College of Charleston (22-8, 41-15, RPI
25) got a huge RPI boost with a non-conference win over
Coastal Carolina. Elon (19-11, 36-20, RPI 45) moved into
a tie for third and has a chance to helps its RPI with a win or
two over The Citadel in the conference tournament. Samford
(17-12, 30-23, RPI 68), Western Carolina (16-13-1, 34-19-1, RPI
62) and Appalachian State (14-14-1, 35-16-1, RPI 63) will be
tough in the conference tourney.

Southland (1) –
Texas State (23-10, 34-20, RPI 50) took two of three from UT
Arlington (19-14, 27-29) to claim the regular-season crown.
Southeastern Louisiana (21-12, 39-17, RPI 48) was in a tie for
first with the Bobcats, but was swept at home by Northwestern
State (22-10, 36-19) to fall to third. The Lions severely
damaged their at-large hopes. This should be a very intriguing
conference tournament.

Southwestern (1) –
Jackson State (19-5, 36-15) had its 17-game win streak
snapped, but still finished on top of the Eastern Division ahead
of Mississippi Valley State (16-8, 23-28), Alcorn State (15-8,
24-27) and Alabama State (6-18, 12-26). Texas Southern (18-6,
28-24) edged Southern (17-6, 23-20) for the Western Division
title, with Grambling State (10-14, 18-30) and Arkansas-Pine
Bluff (8-16, 18-32) placing third and fourth. In what should be
a very entertaining tournament, the Tigers of Jackson State are
our pick to take the tourney title.

Summit (1) – South
Dakota State (19-9, 37-19) claimed the top seed in the Summit
tourney, owning the tie-breaker over Oral Roberts (19-9,
32-25). Centenary (17-9, 28-24) and Oakland (13-14, 22-32)
will fill out the tournament field. Is the Oral Roberts streak
about to end? We think (think) not. In a well-balanced
tournament, we think the Golden Eagles prevail on their home
field.

Sun Belt (2) –
Florida Atlantic (21-9, 33-20, RPI 33) took two of three at
home from FIU (17-13, 31-22, RPI 64) and Louisiana-Lafayette
(21-9, 37-18, RPI 37) swept a three-game set at ULM (7-23,
17-38) to share the top spot in the Sun Belt. The Owls will be
the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament due to their series
win over the Ragin’ Cajuns. Middle Tennessee (18-12, 34-21, RPI
61), FIU, South Alabama (17-13, 31-25, RPI 70) and Troy (16-14,
32-23, RPI 67) will all be factors in the Sun Belt tourney.
Western Kentucky (16-14, 35-21, RPI 36) won two of three at home
from MTSU, but will be the No. 8 seed and must go deep in
conference tournament to have a shot at the NCAA field.

West Coast (1) –
San Diego (17-1, 33-18, RPI 18) has dominated the WCC,
sitting six games ahead of second-place Portland (11-7, 31-17).
The Toreros have clinched the WCC regular-season title and
secured the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. USD
will continue to fight for a chance to host a regional.

Western Athletic (1)
– Fresno State (16-8, 35-23, RPI 74) took three of four
from Sacramento State (7-17, 18-35-1) to win the regular-season
title and the top seed in the WAC tournament. New Mexico State
(14-9-1, 36-21-1) owns the tie-breaker over Nevada (14-9-1,
34-20-1) to be the second seed. Other tourney teams include
Hawaii (12-12, 29-25), Louisiana Tech (11-13, 27-28) and San
Jose State (9-15, 21-35). We think the Bulldogs outlast the
field to take the tourney crown.